By Will BurchfieldFALLS VILLAGE — The Housatonic Valley Regional High School boys basketball team opened up a double-digit halftime lead and then hung on late to defeat Lewis Mills 56-53 at home on Wednesday, Feb. 16. The Mountaineers led by as much as 14 midway through the third quarter, but the Lewis Mills Spartans mounted a furious fourth-quarter rally that left the game in the balance until senior Reilley Lynch sunk two late free throws to seal the victory.While the game ended in dramatic fashion, it started with a much slower tempo. Both the Spartans and the Mountaineers were cold from the field early, their shooting struggles reflected by Lewis Mills’ scant 7-6 lead after the first quarter. But in the opening minutes of the second quarter, the Mountaineers found their stroke, putting together a 7-0 run that turned their one-point deficit into a 13-7 lead. The seven-point run was capped off with a 3-pointer from Corey Christensen, who was a force all game long for the Mountaineers. Christensen recorded a double-double on the night, scoring 23 points on 11 of 18 shooting and bringing down 10 rebounds.Spurred by their seven-point run, Housy shot with marked confidence for the rest of the half, pouring in 28 second-quarter points on the Spartans’ defense. Senior point guard Andrew Hoffman was instrumental in the offensive barrage, driving the lane with tenacity and finding open teammates when under pressure. Hoffman chipped in six points in the second quarter on a number of acrobatic finishes and tallied 10 on the night, along with four assists and five steals.At the defensive end of the floor, the Mountaineers played aggressive team defense, often forcing the Spartans to take low-percentage shots. Housy was efficient on the glass as well, surrendering very few offensive rebounds to keep Spartan possessions to a minimum. The Mountaineers controlled the flow of the game and built up a 34-22 halftime lead.The third quarter followed a similar script as the first with both teams struggling to make baskets. After hanging 25 points in the second quarter, the Mountaineers managed only 12 points in the third, while the offensively frustrated Spartans put up just 11. The Mountaineers were led in the third by the strong play of center Donyell Williams, who scored half of his team’s 12 points. Williams fell just one rebound shy of a double-double on the night, picking up nine boards to go along with his 10 points.Ahead by 13 at the start of the fourth quarter, 46-33, the Mountaineers may have greeted the final eight minutes a bit too nonchalantly. Lewis Mills, sensing an opportunity, opened the fourth quarter with a 6-0 run and cut their deficit to seven points. For the next five minutes, the teams traded baskets, and the Spartans began to score with relative ease. Down 52-45 with under three minutes to play, the visitors put together another 6-0 run and were suddenly down by one with 38 seconds left. After two Hoffman free throws, the Spartans scored again and then quickly fouled Hoffman on the inbound pass. Shooting one-and-one from the line, Hoffman missed the first free throw, and the Spartans grabbed the rebound and took the ball up court with 25 seconds remaining. Fortunately for the Mountaineers, Lewis Mills was unable to finish two opportunities in the paint before Lynch tracked down the game’s final, and most important, rebound.The gym seemed to breath a collective sigh of relief as Lynch converted both of his free throws to clinch the Mountaineers’ 10th win.“It wasn’t pretty,” head coach David Battistoni said after the game. “We let them back in the game late, but fortunately we made some key free throws and managed to hang on.”Of the Mountaineers’ 19 regular season games so far, including their win over Terryville Monday, Feb. 21, 10 have finished with a six-point differential or less. Housy won half of those 10 games, four of them at home.“That’s us,” Battistoni said. “We play close games.”Housy’s record stands at 11-8 overall and 7-1 at home. Battistoni was quick to acknowledge the efforts of the growing fan base. “Fans have really started to show up this year, and it’s really exciting to have,” he said. “It’s something we haven’t had for three years, and I know it inspires the guys, so it’s been fun.”
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One systemic consequence of slavery is the loss and obscuring of the histories of those who were enslaved. Records were often not kept about where Africans had been stolen from or who they were related to. Families were torn apart, leaving nothing but the faintest traces of the past. The delineation point, where genealogists can no longer trace histories back, is refered to this as the “document wall.”
Today, 250 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence and more than 160 years since the Emancipation Proclamation, there is a growing effort to restore some of the history stripped from enslaved people and their descendants. Among the leaders of these efforts is Mills, president of the Alex Breanne Corporation, a nonprofit organization that works to identify previously anonymous Black Americans from history and connect them with their living relatives.
The work began with Mills’ sister, who started digging into their family’s past in the 1990’s and introduced him to this emerging world of genealogy. Through that process, the Mills family discovered their great-great-grandfather, Ned Mills, who had been enslaved in Texas. His last name came from his final enslaver and remains the family surname. Through their research, they found that the document wall directly affected their ancestor, who learned of his liberation on June 19, 1865, now commemorated as Juneteenth.
“For the first time,” Mills writes on his website, “American slavery wasn’t something that had happened to anonymous people in a history book. It had happened to my family.”
The discovery gave Mills a familial pride he had been missing for years. That pride fueled his desire to help others find their own history. In 2023, Mills received his certificate in genealogical research from Boston University. He has used his expertise to help descendants of enslaved people uncover histories they never dreamed of learning.
To do this, he uses a process called “reverse genealogy,” identifying a person from the past and working forward to discover their descendants. Along the way, Mills has found some remarkable people who fought for freedom on American soil, some of whom were never freed.
Pay Bill for Robin Starr’s service in the Continental Army.Courtesy the Alex Breanne Corporation
At the Cornwall Historical Society event, Mills will present the stories of four Connecticut families: Job Lathrop of Norwich, the son of Pirmus Armes, about whom Mills has published a book; Prince Mortimer of Middletown, also the subject of a book by Mills;, the three sons of London Wallace of Simsbury; and Robert “Robin” Starr of Danbury, who later lived in Cornwall and Sharon.
A few years ago, Cornwall Consolidated School social studies teacher Will Vincent reached out to Mills for research guidance on a local history project his students were undertaking. Together, they learned about Naomi Freeman of Cornwall. After purchasing an acre of land on Great Hollow Road in 1828, Naomi Freeman became the first Black female landowner in Cornwall.
The students petitioned the town to rename a road after the historic Cornwall resident In April 2025, Great Hollow Road was officially renamed Naomi Freeman Historic Road. U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes joined Mills and the Cornwall Consildated School students for a presentation of their research.
Since then, Mills has guided the students in their quest to learn more about Starr’s story. Starr was a Revolutionary War soldier who joined the Continental Army to earn enough money to buy his own freedom, receiving the Badge of Merit in the process. The stories of his descendents’ services are equally worthy of their own books.
In recognition of Mills and the students’ work, First Selectman Gordon Ridgway proclaimed Feb. 8 as Robin Starr Day.
Preregistration is required for the event at the Cornwall Historical Society. To learn more about Mills’ work, visit
alexbreanne.org.
John Mills speaking at Quinnipiac University.Courtesy the Alex Breanne Corporation
Stephanie Saetta runs Charlie Chicken Bones, a sanctuary in Salisbury.
Dogs have been at the center of Saetta’s life since childhood. She remembers going to the library to research different breeds and trying to convince her parents the family needed a dog. She had her heart set on an Irish Wolfhound, but she was more than happy when her mom brought home a West Highland terrier.
After college, she adopted Charlie as a puppy from a rescue on Long Island. He was a hound-shepherd-Rottweiler mix who suffered from intense seizures. Some veterinarians recommended euthanasia, but Saetta wasn’t ready to give up on him.
When Charlie would have an episode, she would sit with him, nose to nose, talking him through it. She learned to look for the moment he began to come around — when he could smell her again and his tail started to wag.
“You only get one or two of these soul connection dogs, so I do this in his honor,” Saetta said. “I like to think that all the dogs that come through are going to have that person that they connect with just the same.”
Through a network of women working to rescue animals in Texas, she learned about the desperate situations facing many dogs.
With limited space, some public pounds euthanize even healthy animals to make room. Limited access to veterinary care leaves sick dogs or unvaccinated puppies especially vulnerable.
Saetta saw that reality firsthand with a puppy named Gus, a Labrador mix she fostered who has since been adopted. Gus and his sisters had been dumped beside a road, where they were living under an abandoned car. People would leave food for them, but no one would take them to the pound.
“Even the people who rescue animals down there were like, ‘sadly, the best place for them to be is on the side of the road,’” she said. “That’s safer. Someone might actually help them that way.”
Saetta knows that there are far more dogs than any one person can save, but she also knows that helping one dog means one fewer on the street.
Stephanie Saetta,with her rescue dog George and Blue (left), a shepherd mix awaiting his forever home.Madi Long
Charlie Chicken Bone Sanctuary operates entirely through foster homes, a model that Saetta believes is best for the dogs and the humans hoping to adopt them.
Rather than moving directly from a difficult environment into a permanent home, the dogs have a chance to settle into a quieter setting. They can learn what it’s like to live with a family, sleep somewhere comfortable and receive affection without fighting for attention. Fostering also allows the rescue to really get to know each dog.
“As fosters, we’re honest,” said Saetta. We’ll tell you everything that’s been bad, everything that’s been good. What their temperament is and how they’ve responded to all the things they’ve experienced.”
A successful adoption is not just about finding a dog a home; it’s about finding the right home where the dog and family can thrive together.
Saetta is looking for more people willing to open their homes to foster dogs. She understands that the thought of growing attached and eventually saying goodbye can feel daunting. But she sees that goodbye a little differently.
Fostering means being part of a dog’s journey, even if only for a short time. It gives dogs a safe place to rest, the chance to trust again and the love they have gone without for much of their lives. And when the time comes for them to leave, it is not really a loss. It is the reward of knowing they are moving on to a forever home.
Blue, Saetta’s current foster, is hoping to find his perfect home.
Blue, a 7 year-old Shepard mix, is waiting for his forever home. Madi Long
Now around 7 years old, Blue spent most of his life wandering the streets of Texas. People sometimes left food out for him, but his mangy, dirty coat kept them from stopping to pet him. Today, he has a chance to experience something different.
Blue is still waiting for his forever home. Saetta believes he would do best as the only dog in a household or alongside another senior dog. He will need someone willing to continue working with him on his training and understand that a dog with his history needs patience.
But what he gives in return is a whole lot of love.
“He’s so enthusiastic, he’s so excited for life, he’s so friendly, and he’s got such a good heart, and he loves to cuddle,” Saetta said. “He’s a good, good, good dog.”
For more information on adopting Blue or how to foster, visit ccbsanctuary.org.
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